G-SHARP DUO
EMILIE-ANNE GENDRON, violin YELENA GRINBERG, piano

From the organizer:

Dear Friends,
On Sunday, March 25th, 2018, at 5 p.m. Emilie and I warmly invite you to Part I of our FRENCH IMPRESSIONS violin-piano program, in special celebration of the 350th birthday anniversary of Francois Couperin and the composers in his circle. Proclaimed as the “couperin le Grand,” Francois Couperin (1668-1733) was a French Baroque composer, organist, and harpsichordist, famous for his four volumes of Pieces de clavecin (1713-1730) as well as his important treatise, L’art de toucher le clavecin (“The Art of Harpsichord Playing.”) Couperin’s picturesque pieces from Nouveaux Concerts (1724), arranged for violin and keyboard (originally for solo harpsichord), include such marvelous delights as the Majestuesement, the charming Musette, and the catchy Chaconne: Leger. The pioneer of French Impressionism, Claude Debussy composed his one-and-only Violin Sonata in G minor (1917) just a year before his death. It was his very last work and a poignant representative of his late style, cast in three movements: the vivacious Allegro vivo, a fanciful and delightully capricious Intermede: Fantasque et leger, and a rousing Finale: Tres anime. Francis Poulenc’s riveting Sonata for violin and piano (1942-43) was dedicated to the great Spanish poet, Garcia Lorca, and composed upon Poulenc’s third attempt to write a Violin Sonata as “quite different from the everlasting line of the violin-melody of 19th century French Sonatas.” It is a highly satirical and biting work, cast in three contrasting movements: the fiery Allegro con fuoco, the dreamy and nostalgic Intermezzo, and toccata-like Presto tragico finale. Gabriel Faure’s poetic miniatures – his enchanting Romance for violin and piano (1883) and the beloved Berceuse for violin and piano (1878-79) – reveal his innate gift for melodic lyricism and subtle changes of tonality. Camille Saint-Saens, the teacher of Faure, who was his favorite pupil and later his closest friend, composed in a neo-Classical French style, marked by aristocratic refinement, brilliance, and charm. These signature traits are in abundance in his tour de force Sonata No. 1 in D minor for violin and piano, op. 75 (1885) – a brilliantly virtuosic masterwork of the French Romantic violin-piano repertoire whose dazzling Allegro molto finale in breathless perpetual motion drives the work to its exhilarating fff ending. Don’t miss this impassioned evening of French Impressions I!
Emilie and I can’t wait to see you all on Sunday, March 25th!

Best wishes,

Dr. Yelena Grinberg, founder and artistic director of the Grinberg Classical Salon Series

WHEN: Sunday, March 25th, 2018, at 5:00 p.m. Doors will open starting at 4:30 pm             
The salon will begin promptly at 5:00 pm – NO late seating!            
Food-and-wine reception will follow the performance
WHERE: Private Residence on Upper West Side (upper 90s)
You will receive the exact address after you register through this website
ADMISSION: $30
Admission price includes food-and-wine reception with the guest Artist(s)          
Limited to just 21 seats!           
Advance purchase through this site is required. NO tickets sold at the door.
CONTACT: Yelena Grinberg: ygpiano (at) gmail.com

FRENCH IMPRESSIONS I
COUPERIN – Selections from Nouveau concerts (1724)
DEBUSSY – Sonata for violin and piano in G Minor (1917)
POULENC – Sonata for violin and piano (1942-43)
FAURE – Romance & Berceuse for violin and piano (1883 / 1878-79)
SAINT-SAENS – Sonata No. 1 in D minor for violin and piano, op.75 (1885)
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For more information on Emilie-Anne Gendron, go to: http://www.emilieannegendron.com
For more information on Yelena Grinberg, go to: www.yelenagrinberg.com
For more on Grinberg Classical Salon Series, please visit: http://yelenagrinberg.com/grinberg-classical-salon-series/